Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray Man in any way, all credit goes to Katsura Hoshino.

Summary: Forced to leave the Order, Allen comes across a secret hidden in the depths of the Ark. Now, hunted by the Noah Clan and considered an enemy by the place he once called home, he has to search for the truth... The truth about Mana, Neah and himself. Where he came from and who he really is. Uncovering a web of illusions and doubts, Allen still moves forward as he promised to do... But what do you do in a war, when you feel like you don't belong to any side?

"There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery" – Dante Alighieri

Act Three – Of Memories and Demons

The first days went by almost in the manner of a long dream from which he couldn't wake.

The morning after they had arrived in town, as sleep left him, Allen had had a second of peace. It had felt longer due to the relief it carried. It made everything before unreal and confusing and, for that moment, he believed he was still in the dungeons of the Order and everything else had been just a nightmare… Then, his mind had cleared to reality, a flower that had closed its petals as he slept (for a few hours, he had just been able to sleep when his body had finally been defeated by exhaustion and he was well aware that the same applied to Raz). He couldn't say if he would rather be in that inn or back in the dungeons before everything had happened…

Link lying on the floor… Apocryphos… The pain caused by those white feathers… Tyki placing Road on his arms… The face of Lenalee, scarred by tears…

It was just the sensation of an objective that had pushed him forward. As much as a part of him wanted to stay in bed, to go back to sleep, to forget everything… He knew he couldn't. It was like his promise to Mana… To keep going on… Always forward. This had accompanied him for years and so it would until his death.

It was the only thing that still made sense.

The only thing he could do.

So, after a shower, he had gone out with Raz, exploring the town in search of bars and cheap stores. They had spent the day like this until, by sunset, they headed back to the Inn… And with this, the links of a routine had started to take shape. And it was enough. The days already seemed longer than usual and he still had the mind-numbing sensation of being in a trance…

As much as the games demanded enough attention to push the mist away, they were unrelated to the actual issues. In a sense, they helped to block reality. And a routine that didn't ask for much had a sort of comfort… He didn't want to think, he didn't want to open his mind to more than he had to… Even the objective of earning enough money was enough to focus on, by itself, without thinking about what to do after he had enough. He knew they needed it to travel (not that he knew where to), but it was often secondary in his mind…

He was just accepting anything that helped to not think about what had happened.

A part of him, however, was aware he couldn't ignore the entirety of what needed to be done and he would at times talk with Raz, both making a small list, starting to calculate the daily earnings and dividing them between the inn and a small saving.

Until now, the Noah girl hadn't made any questions regarding him.

Allen had soon sensed that Raz didn't really believe what he had told her, merely accepting it due to her current condition… Her lack of more personal questions could be that as well, or maybe she was waiting for him to tell her everything eventually or maybe she was more worried about learning (or re-learning) about the world to which she had woken up, as an empty thing that needed to be filled.

It was a feeling he could relate to.

He had never seen a real amnesia case (if that was what it was), but it seemed there were some concepts and objects which meaning she still knew (or seemed to) while having no real memory of. On another hand, there were many things she clearly had no idea of what they were supposed to be. One of those occasions had been when they had first visited the local train station.

When they entered a bar, she would take a seat near him and watch the game in silence, but during their walks, she would sometimes ask for explanations about things she saw or heard. It also wasn't unusual for her to either stop by store windows or to look at them with the corner of her eyes.

When not teaching her about something or another, Allen would just talk to her, from discussing what they needed to buy to more frivolous things, more distractions that he accepted with open arms when the silence started to become heavy in his mind.

It still felt strange to be in her company… Although Raz never displayed signs of violence, Allen never forgot what she truly was.

"Things seem to be okay for now, but what if her memories come back suddenly?" He wondered by the nightfall of the second day, lying in bed. It made him shiver. Knowing what she was, his own experiences with the Noah Clan whispering in his mind, it felt like there was a serpent in the room with him, hiding in plain sight.

He didn't want to think about it.

It didn't seem her memories would be returning anytime soon, however… What about then? What would happen? Would she attack him or just leave to find the other Noahs?

Did it even matter by this point?

He knew this was important, but sometimes it was hard to bring himself to care. It was like when he had been in the White Ark… In the end, Allen decided there was nothing he could do… Abandon her? He couldn't do that. As aware as he was that Raz was not a harmless little thing, it simply didn't feel right. So, should it come to pass that her memories returned and she attacked him, he would deal with it when it happened, then. Fight and run, if necessary. With this, the idea was easily left in a corner… The situation was enough without him focusing on that.

However, he was right about one thing: Raz wasn't sure if she believed him or not.

On one hand, there was physical evidence that she and the boy were "different"… She had not forgotten her "other" appearance with gray skin, like ashes (which one was her "real" appearance – if it could be called that – she didn't know) and Allen always kept his red arm hidden with bandage-like cloths that he had asked the inn's owner for. The woman had seen it when they had arrived and though she had soon masked it, Raz had noticed she had been unsettled for a moment.

Not a normal thing to see, then.

He kept his arm covered even in her presence, for reasons she could not understand but appreciated all the same. It was strange… Yes, the color was odd and the hand was, well, different, with the darkened nails (not to the point of being black like hers were) and strange knuckles, but she had already seen it, had she not? Besides, they both knew she also wasn't like other people, when it came down to looks.

But there was something about that arm that made her feel weird.

It wasn't the looks, she had thought about it and found it didn't bother her. The idea itself seemed senseless… Then why? What about it made her feel as if there was something small and cold slithering among her organs?

She didn't know the answer.

Perhaps it was an effect of whatever had made his arm look like that, maybe the pale cross she had seen on the back of his hand?

It might be.

She had decided to not talk about it.

Perhaps she also had no room to talk about his decision: She also had never taken that "other" appearance of hers again.

Very well, then. If her sensation (or certainty, or whatever it was) back in the forest wasn't enough, then there was some evidence that they were not… Like everyone else. Then it followed that Allen had told her the truth... But she still wasn't sure. It didn't help that he hadn't said a word about himself or given more details about whatever "Noahs" were, so the term didn't mean much and she was still without anything to support herself on… Although she had let the matter aside, it wasn't as if didn't have any questions. Often the temptation of asking for more information would dance in front of her in a sadistic way, so much that the echoes of its laughing seemed too real even if it was merely inside the void she still felt.

But she had held back.

It sometimes sounded stupid even to herself, but she still wasn't sure she believed whatever Allen Walker might say. And everything was so confusing that Raz felt it was better to keep her attention in the simpler things, trying to get out of the maze she was in and first find some sense in what was around her before she dealt with the more complicated matters.

Strange, wasn't it, that those would also feel so important…

But perhaps it was better to uphold her decision.

For now.

"What about those shirts?" She suggested when seeing a table with different kinds of clothes under a sign saying "at sale" in one of the stores they had found.

"They seem good" The boy answered, picking a white one for examination. A simple one, not very different from the one he was wearing. He checked the clothes at the table, muttering. "A long-sleeved one would be better…" He was doing fine with the cloths around his arm, as he has done when traveling to the Order's headquarters, but he needed something more practical.

"Didn't we see gloves yesterday in that other store down the street?" She remembered. "There was a pair that went up to the elbows…" Until now, they had gotten a pair of shoes (for Raz), two large backpacks (resilient ones. They had been a little more expensive, but it was better than something cheap that would rip open after a few days of use) and changes of undergarments. Even as they searched for changes of clothes, Raz had decided to keep the white suit that she had been wearing when Allen found her.

The white-haired boy hadn't inquired about the reasons behind it and Raz was grateful for this. Even she didn't know why, it wasn't as if those clothes held any meaning to her, even in the most basic instinctual levels of nerves and emotions.

"We could take two" Allen said, checking the tag price and remembering the amount they had saved to what they could still spend and turned to her with incentive. "Choose one, too."

Raz considered the options for an instant. Allen had already noticed how most of the times she had to make a similar choice, her first reaction was almost like hesitation.

"How must it be?" He wondered, studying her. "To not remember anything besides your name? It's like she doesn't know if she has any favorite colors or what she likes to wear…" The idea, one he had been giving more attention after meeting Raz, disturbed him. How would it be if he forgot Mana? Or Lavi and Lenalee? A cold shiver was born in his nerves and echoed in his blood.

"Just take the one you like the most…" He suggested in a gentle tone.

Raz detested that sensation of not knowing herself. She didn't remember any sort of preferences and when she thought about it, nothing came to mind… It had been days since she had woken up and now, faced with the question, it was as if she had been "alive" for too short to develop any, either.

Wanting to just get that over with, she randomly picked a bluish shirt. Allen nodded.

"It matches your eyes."

Upon leaving the store, the sunset's light touched their faces as it spread through the streets. The afternoon's breeze carried the promise of night's coolness. A woman passed by them holding hands with a small blonde boy that laughed, holding a sack with pieces of bread to his chest.

Typical end of the day, a calm afternoon approaching twilight…

But both of them felt detached from all that, each due to their own reasons, untouched by the feelings a time like that would usually invoke.

"Allen…" Raz started, adjusting the shopping bag on her hand. "When we were in that bar yesterday…" The boy nodded. "Why didn't you keep betting with that man?"

Right when watching he play for the first time, Raz had noticed the obscure aura Allen emitted. Until now, he had not lost even a single time, so his refusal yesterday to keep going despite the insistence of the black-haired man had come as a bit of a surprise that she couldn't understand.

The man had kept playing as if ignoring his defeats until Allen had called the quits. The man had not accepted it in silence, showing more money notes, waving them as he ranted on. The amount had been ignored by Allen, just like the screams that had followed him as he left the bar: A mix of pleads and provocations.

Allen knew that type.

"That man… You saw him, he lost several rounds and still wanted to go on. He would end up gambling more than he could or should." It wasn't a supposition. Part of what made someone a great player was the ability to understand your opponent and, when it came to this, Allen had good observation skills. There were several types of players, some categories intercrossing, and he had recognized which one the man belonged almost at the moment he had taken a seat.

A shrugging from Raz, more than her face, expressed she wasn't following exactly. Allen shook his head, not entirely sure whether she really didn't comprehend or just didn't care… But his bets were on the first option. It seemed that no matter how many days would pass, her face would always be that mask that could go only from an absolute lack of emotions to a sort of unchanging serenity, like her facial muscles no longer knew how to move in accordance to whatever she might be feeling.

However, at times, he thought he had seen glimpses in her eyes.

"In this line of activities, you end up hearing all kinds of stories and even witnessing some… I've seen people gamble away all the money they had. You know what they did then?"

"They went back home…" It was the most logical action, but Allen seemed to find it amusing.

"That's what you would expect, but no. They still tried to bet more" He turned his gaze forwards, remembering. They passed by two girls, sitting on a bench, chattering happily. "Once, some years ago, I was watching a group… Evaluating my changes and waiting for the right moment" He added. "And one of the guys insisted on betting the engagement ring of his own daughter… Do you get what I mean?"

Raz blinked and said nothing. He had no idea if this was meant to be any sort of reaction.

"Like I said, if I'd accepted, he would end up gambling more than he should… More than he had even" It was true that someone else could (and likely had, after they had left) easily take up the challenge, but Allen refused to take part in which could very well lead to someone's fall. He had suggested to man to go home, being ignored.

"Where did you learn to play like that after all?" The girl asked shaking her head, the movement making her dark hair shiver on her back. "You never lose."

"Because I cheat." The boy explained without missing a beat and would have laughed, but the idea still made his body dry inside. Raz blinked twice, her eyebrows raising a little. She was surprised. She had never thought Allen would be able to do something considered "wrong", even if she had seen how different he was when playing cards.

"I've learned when I was younger." He told her as they entered the inn, politely waving to the keeper before going upstairs. Without turning back, Allen carried on. "My Master was always leaving his bills in my name or he would vanish before the collectors appeared. So I ended up having to find a way to pay to it."

Raz wanted to ask who this "master" Allen mentioned was (and master of what?), then deciding against it. He took his copy of the room's key. The sheets on the beds had been changed, but besides that, the only difference was the backpacks resting near the window. At first, he had thought about keeping the new clothes in the closet (as few as they were), changing his mind soon after. Now that he thought of it, they should start carrying their bags with them as well… No matter how much he wanted to keep pushing the matter away, the truth was he… They were at constant risk of being found by the Order or the Noahs at any moment.

Once more, Allen felt the hold of cold claws in his soul becoming stronger. Would that sensation ever go away? Would there be an hour, a second even, when he wouldn't hurt that way?

"At first…" He started again, unaware that the cadence of his voice was slightly out of the rhythm. Raz noticed it. "I was just learning it to help with moving my arm better…" In the circus, always with gloves to hide it and with the deformed fingers, he didn't use it as much as his right arm. Besides, the chores didn't exactly require a refined dexterity. Not to mention how Cosimov used to… No, that was a snake in his mind that he didn't want to disturb.

"So, with time I learned some tricks and, well, here I am!" He turned after leaving the bag with clothes at the side of the backpack. "When I play, it's to win! Cards are always in my favor, so if you're going to play against me, be ready to lose!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Raz nodded, her tone serene like always. The sound of a slow river. "Actually… Remind me to never try to play against you, will you?" That if she ever came to learn someday. Allen had explained some rules and some different games, offering himself to teach her, but Raz had ended up realizing she would rather watch than to take part.

For an instant, the remembrance of the battles in the Ark tore his mind apart. When he had fought against Tyki, he had told him he would prefer if it all was nothing more than a poker game, in which no one had to die… He felt as if that memory was older than it actually was, something that had happened in another life. The snowfall of worries and other events had buried it, speeding its aging process.

He tried to bury it once more.

"Allen?" Raz tried, head slightly tilted to the side. The muscles of his face moved, controlled by mechanical cords, forming a smile.

"Leave it to me" There was almost a double sense in that, adding the case of Raz someday deciding to fight him. Allen ignored that thought as well. There were more important things to deal with and he went to one of the backpacks, picking some notes kept together by a thread and took others from his pocket.

"Well, we had a good earning… There is a little left from shopping, too." He calculated it quickly in his mind. They had enough to pay for two train tickets and some more for eventualities. "Do you think we need more clothes? What else there is on the list?

"I'm not sure… We haven't bought any food yet" She read a small piece of paper with some words scribbled in the firm writing of Allen. They exchanged looks… The reason they hadn't done a thing about that particular item was out of having not yet decided where… And the idea birthed tension in them, for the most varied reasons.

"Do we really have to go? Why can't we stay here?" She thought suddenly. The idea sounded strange and pale, not receiving the nutrients of true will. She wanted to discover who and what she was and how would that ever happen if she stayed in that town? "Will I ever remember?"

A question without an answer, but to which she had given a lot of thought (especially in the silent hours of the night where she found no rest and thoughts slithered around in her mind as worms devouring her sanity) and had decided it wouldn't be any good to remain still, waiting. In a way or another, she would seek answers.

Allen could be lying… Or telling the truth.

But he hadn't told her all the truth yet.

"Why do you want to leave?"

Silence.

Raz felt her shoulders hardening when she realized she had spoken out loud and not merely thought.

Allen looked at her, not knowing how to answer… He had expected several questions, including that one, but… It was harder to explain than it was to feel it. How could he? Any answer, to any question, would likely give birth to more questions while clarifying little to nothing for her… Everything became tangled in a spider's web and he couldn't separate the threads to explain each one individually.

He could tell her everything at once and it wouldn't be any easier.

Before he could think about what to say, Raz raised her hand.

"I'm sorry… You don't need to tell me if you don't want to…" At least not yet. Both wanted to leave town. He hadn't hurt her, had been patient when explaining things that she didn't know… Those were already good points to stay with him, were Allen lying or not.

The boy closed his mouth and nodded.

"You do know you should tell her" A voice in his mind whispered. "She has the right to know, it is cruel of you to let her stay like this."

"It's complicated, Raz…" He started. "But… There are some people after me. It isn't safe to stay in one place for long." He hesitated, but since he had already started, might as well go on a little more. "And there are things that I need to find out."

Why such a simple truth still left such a trail of bitter taste in his mouth?

It was what he had been thinking a bit before of… Well, before that kind of seizure and being attacked by Apocryphos… How he had been just hating the Fourteenth without knowing anything about him or his side of the story. And he had wondered if anything would change should he learn more.

Allen wasn't more sure of the answer than he had been back then.

"I see…" The girl agreed with a nod, signalizing she understood and that it was enough of an answer. She didn't want to pressure him, just as he didn't pressure her. "I think… Then we're sort of alike regarding this."

Allen repeated the gesture slowly. Yes… At this point, they were alike. Both lost and searching for truths in a maze of mirrors. The image was a bit appropriated.

"We are." He said, before deciding to change the subject. "Hey, let's get some dinner, I'm starving!"

"And we still can search some bars later…" She suggested and would have tried to smile at least a little, but she wasn't sure she would know how to do it. "There must be some people still who don't know that they shouldn't challenge you in cards."

XxX

Sitting on the edge of a roof, she remained unmoving.

There were no doubts about the scene unrolling in front of her and hse had always considered it preferable to accept facts and analyze them rather than elude herself, repeating useless mantras such as "it can't be" or "impossible", attitudes she regarded with cold despise.

She wouldn't deny that the recently heard report had made her think that there should be a mistake, that it was incomplete and untrustworthy information… Now, seeing with her own eyes, she accepted the truth in its pure form, no matter how it made no sense.

Lulubell arranged her tail around her paws.

It had been a stroke of great luck. Like the akumas, she had picked searched around the world (and she did the same), a small group that had gone to attack a nearby city for evolution had reported that, while passing over this town, they had sensed an unknown aura of a Noah. After killing a few humans, it had crossed the skies above it once again and found something else that had caused the Noah of Lust to doubt the akuma's words (regardless of how impossible it should be for it to make such mistakes).

Allen Walker was with an unknown Noah.

Lulubell had no idea of how this was even possible.

Using one of the Black Ark's portals, she had arrived in town just a few hours ago and searched around. If Walker was with that new Noah, then they couldn't be staying in a fancy place (according to Tyki, the boy had left with nothing besides the clothes he had on). It was her luck that the akuma in question had kept a long distance while crossing town, otherwise it would have activated Walker's eye for sure.

Lulubell could feel the girl's presence. It was almost as seeing a color or smelling a perfume, except it was not a sense that could be properly explained since it wasn't focused in eyes or skin, but existing only in blood and nerves. It might have not been useful to determine her location before (and now, she was too close for that to have worked in this way, too), but it left no room for doubts.

It was her.

That girl was a Noah.

Down there, she could see them sitting by the inn's window and eating. Such a sight should have no place in reality. It went against logic and reason: A Noah and an Exorcist, just talking and having dinner together…

She didn't allow herself to wonder about it for long.

This was beyond unexpected. And there was no sense to be taken from it.

Why would a Noah be near an Exorcist without trying to kill him? Yes, the Earl had made it very clear that Allen Walker was not to be harmed, but she had no means of knowing that. And how had they even met? Could it be that the girl was lying and deceiving Walker for some reason? Lulubell's mind went over the hypothesis, evaluating and considering others at the same time, analyzing the possible results of each.

Golden eyes gleamed in the night, frozen flames that followed the white-haired boy and the bluish-black haired girl as they left the inn after eating. Conjectures were worthless. Hypotheses were no more than ideas.

Her tail waved.

"I have an order for you…" She sent a command with the mental link to the akumas wandering in the skies, hidden by clouds. She felt their response, their eagerness.

"Attack Walker. Do not let him realize you won't kill him"

Before taking any decision, it would be better to find out more about the true nature of the situation.

The black cat jumped gracefully to another roof, accompanying, following the young teens as if they were two mice. The akumas were approaching fast, wanting nothing more than to obey the given orders. Lulubell's tail weaved in the air as she felt the enjoyment that always preceded the hunt.

"Let's see what you both will do"

XxX

"I think we could try up the street" Raz muttered. "There was a bar passing by that square, the one with the fountain."

Allen knew which one she was talking about. A kind of pub, clean and organized, contrary to some bars they had visited in their first days, places dominated by the bitter smell of beer, clients muttering to themselves or screaming and laughing in loud, lost voices.

"Well, I haven't gambled there…" He considered, then nodded. "Okay, let's try it." If they kept going to the same establishment every night, people would end talking. Some gamblers could keep tales of games to themselves or just close friends, but most would speak to whoever gave them a second of time and, from a mouth to another, stories grew easily. As soon as someone came asking about a pale boy with white hair and a scarred face, the answer would be immediate.

There were places he had gone twice already and others he had been just one time. He had given some thought to the idea of organizing them in a routine, but the point remained all the same: If there was a bar he frequented on Mondays, then two weeks would be more than enough for people to remember him.

"Not that we will stay for much longer, I guess" A bit of a pity… As it turned out, this wasn't an unpleasant town. "Reminds me of when Master disappeared…" There was a kind of irony in this, wasn't it? Maybe he should have asked Cross to teach him how to disappear from the face of Earth as he could.

"Not that there is much to ask about, not when he had Maria with him."

"Allen?" The girl called, her hand lightly touching his shoulder, bringing him back to the present. When he turned to Raz, she removed her hand, tilting her head to the side. "Are you… Alright?"

"Hm? Yeah, sure… Why the question?"

"You're looking around in a weird way…"

"Weird how?"

"I don't know, just… Weird." She shrugged a little, showing that she couldn't define it exactly, but still tried. "Almost as if… As you get from time to time. As if you were searching for something that you lost…" It was more than that. Almost as what he searched for could never be found and he still tried… Eyes dull and quiet.

Raz wanted to ask what had happened to make his eyes become like that, yet she didn't want him to tell her anything if Allen didn't want to, reason why she hadn't insisted earlier on although she couldn't just bring herself to ignore that sort of look.

"I was just thinking about some stuff…" He smiled, waving his hand. "Ah, but it is nothing. Don't worry, okay? Listen, I think we should start thinking about where we could go to."

Raz shook her head with a sigh.

"Hey, that's more with you" She answered with a firm voice. "Anywhere is good to me" The fact did disturb her a little. They had taken a look at a map at the train station, displaying other cities and trains they could catch, but nothing there awakened any sense of familiarity or curiosity. Her world, since she had woken up, was limited to that town.

"I don't know either" Allen confessed. He knew he needed answers, to find more about the Fourteenth, but where could he get them? "Maybe we should just… Keep going forward…" The words came with the naturality of an answer that was already instinctive in some occasions.

Maybe hearing something in his voice or just curious about the choice of words, Raz repeated as a child trying to confirm if she understood what an adult had just said.

"Going forward?"

"Well… It's what Mana used to say" Allen told her with a shy smile, words bringing the memory of his father along, sound and image chained to one another. A small shadow formed on Raz's forehead when she frowned slightly, corned of mouth rising a bit, signals as light as waves in a lake. "Mana… Was my father."

It was the first time he ever mentioned any sort of family.

Raz kept her silence, hesitating before touching his shoulder again. Allen still smiled, his eyes reflecting the memories. They were deep inside him. The time after Mana's death had had days of darkness and pain and he didn't remember those, not with any sort of clarity. What he did remember was, after his wound had become a scar and he could leave Mother's house with Cross, he'd often spent the time before sleeping just lying down and remembering Mana, afraid, oh so afraid, that the memories would fade…

It was his greatest fear and even know, the possibility frightened him to the point his mind would bring forward all he remembered about his father just to prove that it wasn't happening…

At the same time, it opened the wounds.

The voice, so suave and kind… The faces Mana would make when trying to make him laugh and how he would hold his hands when teaching him new tricks and how to juggle… And he taught him to feel a sort of warmth he had never known. Back then, he was angry and ashamed of himself when he woke up screaming, but Mana never said a thing or got mad, he would just hold him close and sometimes told stories he had heard or about places he had been.

He would never hear that voice or that laugh again. He would never feel that hug or those big hands holding his ones…

"Mana…"

"He took me in when I was little…" He told without thinking why. "We traveled together, so he always…"

His blood froze.

His left eye sent a lightening of warning to his mind.

The nerves reacted, becoming shards of glass.

"Allen?"

"Raz, RUN!" He grabbed the girl, turning back and running. As they passed by the fountain, a bright light hit the ground in answer to the movement, breaking the asphalt. They both looked up, Allen's eye shining in red, a lense almost liquid-like appearing over it, circled by a silver gear.

Akumas.

More than he could count at first glance, moving in the air, surrounding them. The few people nearby screamed and ran for it. At his side, Raz was still and he felt her arm going rigid.

"Allen…" She muttered without saying anything else. Allen didn't wait.

"Raz, just stay here and take cover!" From some corner of his mind, a little voice screamed that it was a foolish thing to say, she was a Noah, she wouldn't be harmed. But at that moment, that didn't make a difference.

Raz's mind seemed unable to process the events. In a second she had been talking to Allen, then his eye had turned strange and he had pulled her along. And now, things floated in the air, things that looked both metallic and organic, a mixture creating obscene parodies.

What were those…

"Akumas" The term tore the barrier of confusion, digging its claws in her brain. She had no idea of how she knew that, but the certainty was powerful enough. Those things were akumas.

A white lightning came again. Allen jumped, landing on his feet, without losing balance. The things made sounds, of mockery and laughs.

"Allen, what do you think you're doing? Let's get out here!" Raz called and, for the first time ever since she had woken up, her voice had risen into a cry. Allen didn't even turn to her, eyes fixated on the sky.

What was he doing? Those things would kill him!

"Exorcist! Exorcist!" One of them laughed, grinding its teeth, the sound of nails against a blackboard. The saliencies that it had for eyes turning around in its metallic head. "It's the exorcist the Earl spoke of!"

Another akuma, with a shape resembling a bluish helmet and a vaguely humanoid body, shook its head in the manner of a mad hunting dog.

"And the lost Noah!"

Allen lifted his Innocence arm.

The flesh produced a white gleam.

A mantle, that could have been weaved by the moon itself, wrapped around him, turning Allen into a ghost. The arm was now black, fingers of fine claws with silver rings like the bracelet, shaped like crowns. A white cross shone in the back of the hand.

Raz felt the strength abandoning her legs. A part of her mind wanted to recoil to its depths, take refuge where the beating of her heart was the only law needed… And yet, something in her blood shivered…

Allen jumped, higher than it should be possible for humans, heading against an akuma. The thing attacked along with the others, but the boy screamed something… A trail appeared when he hit the air, caused by the rings… The hit akumas roared in pain and backed off, but just that wasn't enough…

The boy was back in the ground, sliding on his feet and normal hand. By how he did it, Raz guessed the movement didn't harm him at all…

Why? Why this all felt as if should mean something? How could such an insane scenario have any meaning whatsoever?

Allen grabbed his own wrist, concentrating to activate the Exorcist Sword…

A knife of pure agony cut his thoughts.

The boy fell on his knees, biting his lower lip, not feeling the taste of his own blood.

Nerves convulsed in despair, sharing pain with the rest of the body, but the arm was still the focus of it all. Shards pierced his nerve endings and his blood, tearing apart whatever it found in its way.

"ALLEN!" Raz screamed, running to him. Allen didn't notice. His blood hurt, his eyes hurt, his own existence was taken by white pain and he screamed, mouth red with his own blood.

From the skin of his left arm, white feathers started to grow, rubbing against each other, a few caressing his skin, others wrapping it, dissolving again upon contact, and holding the raw flesh as they touched each of his nerves…

Apocryphos' feathers.

Ana: Hello, cliffhanger! I'll hold the next chapter as hostage until I get reviews! -evil laugh-

Allen: You're mean. And a bit strange. And you do know that, don't you?

Ana: You're saying this because of the cliffhanger, the feathers or...

Allen: Honestly? All of it. This is getting ridiculous.

Ana: Weell, considering how much you love the Order, I doubt you would overcome what happened in just some days. And with the Noahs after you and all, it couldn't be a walk in the park.

Raz: And where do I fit in all of this? The only thing that felt familiar until now were those akumas!

Ana: You're a Noah, that would be natural! And now, the Noahs know you're with Allen, so you're both screwed.

Allen: ... You love us, don't you?

Lulubell: Excuse me, I know this may be quite hard considering your mental level, but can I just drag them back to the Earl now?

Ana: ... Do you even wonder why you're not my favorite Noah? (Really, she isn't).

Neah (possessing Allen): Do you have favorites? Who? I'm at least in top 5, right? I'm everyone's favorite!

Ana: YOU! You're not supposed to even appear yet! -holds a cross- Go back to the darkness!

Everyone: ...

Neah: Seriously?

Jy24: As you can see, yes! Allen has been taking care of her. It's not like he would leave her all alone, he is an "all-loving hero". Even if he sometimes worries about it.

Allen: What would I do? Leave her all alone?

Raz: I'm thankful for this. What would happen if he wasn't with me?

Ana: Considering the other Noahs can't "localize" you straight away and you don't remember a thing about the world... The possibilities are endless. But now Lulubell saw them together and I don't think she was happy about it.

Allen: Little sister? I... I never thought about it, but maybe. I don't know. I do care for her.

Raz: But we're not related...

Ana: You don't have to be related to be considered a sister, Raz. Oh, regarding the Order, yes, they will appear. Like I said, the Noahs now will know they are traveling together and there WILL be a point where the Order will know about this too. When and how, I can't say yet. Thanks so much for the reviews, they keep me going!